Tampa Bay Rays: Clock Ticks on Last Minute Trade Deadline

We’re hours away from the August revocable waivers trade deadline.  Deals are starting to pop.  Will the Tampa Bay Rays make a move?

If you’re a New York Yankees fan, are you growing more concerned about Aaron Judge?  Why would they go out and acquire Andrew McCutchen if Judge will be back sooner rather than later? Judge has been a little slow to recover from his chip fracture in his wrist. Is today’s trade for McCutchen a sign of growing concern in the Bronx?

Will Josh Donaldson end up being traded?  That may seem trivial to the Rays, but he has more home runs against the Rays, 15, than any other team in the Major Leagues except the Minnesota Twins.  And, the Rays play the Blue Jays ten times this month.  If the Blue Jays are in sell mode, removing Donaldson from their roster should only be a positive for the Rays.  And, what about Kendrys Morales or Marco Estrada?  When one-third of your remaining schedule is against this team, watching what they end up with is interesting.

The AL East is changing today.  The question is whether the Rays will have anything going on.  It’s doubtful, but not out of the question.  First and foremost, Sergio Romo isn’t going anywhere.  He was placed on waivers and pulled back, seemingly making him off-limits.  But, there’s always CJ Cron.  His power right-handed bat just might appeal to someone looking to gain an edge.

What should we watch for?

Are there others that might be flying under the radar?  What about Chaz Roe?  His name doesn’t come up, but he might just be a quality arm for a team making a playoff run.  Carlos Gomez? I’d hate to see him go, but is there a team looking for his energy?

The Tampa Bay Rays are not typically big players in August in terms of trades. Back in 2013, they were buyers and acquired David DeJesus from the Washington Nationals for a player to be name later.  In 2012, they traded the notorious player to be named to Houston for outfielder Ben Francisco.  If you use these two trades as examples, the trades are not often of impact, but moves to add depth.

Which brings me back to Cron.  I’ve mentioned it in other posts, but he seems like Cron is a quality player who is being pushed to the sidelines by younger prospects. Jake Bauers deserves more time to develop and needs to play just about every day.  Despite his recent struggles, he shouldn’t platoon during the last month and only play against right handed pitching.  Perhaps moving Cron will have the same impact that the Adeiny Hechavarria trade seemed to have for Willy Adames.